Sojiji: Discipline, Compassion, and Enlightenment at a Japanese Zen Temple Volume 94

Sōjiji is one of the two head temples of Sōtō Zen, the largest sect of Japanese Buddhism. The temple is steeped in centuries of culture and tradition, but it is very much rooted in the present and future, performing functions and catering to needs that reflect the changing demographic, social, and religious landscapes of contemporary Japan.

Based on more than fifteen years of fieldwork, interviews, and archival research, Sōjiji: Discipline, Compassion, and Enlightenment at a Japanese Zen Temple immerses the reader in the lives and experiences of the different groups that comprise Sōjiji's contemporary religious community. Through clear and accessible prose, ethnographically-grounded analysis, and emotionally compelling stories, the reader will explore the rich pastiche of daily life and ritual activity at a major Japanese Zen temple in institutional, historical, and social context through the lived practices of its community of clergy, practitioners, parishioners, and visitors.

Author: Joshua A. Irizarry
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Published: 06/13/2022
Pages: 310
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.46lbs
Size: 8.97h x 6.05w x 0.68d
ISBN13: 9780472055364
ISBN10: 0472055364
BISAC Categories:
- History | Asia | Japan
- Religion | Buddhism | Zen (see also Philosophy | Zen)
- Social Science | Anthropology | General

About the Author
Joshua Irizarry is Visiting Associate Professor of Anthropology at Bridgewater State University.